Future of the Force
by DZ2
Summary: One-Shot: When he attacked the Jedi Temple, Darth Vader made a decision to preserve the future of the Dark Side before proving himself worthy of the title Chosen One…but not as either side would expect. AU 3rd Movie; Dark Side Anakin;


Future of the Force: A Star Wars Fan Fiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Wars or any of its associated characters; all rights belong to George Lucas;

**Plot: **One-Shot: When he attacked the Jedi Temple, Darth Vader made a decision to preserve the future of the Dark Side before proving himself worthy of the title Chosen One…but not as either side would expect.

**Author's Note: **This is a change, I know, but it's an idea I couldn't get out of my head when watching the 3rd film – Revenge of the Sith – and so I decided to go with it. See what you think and, as always, if you don't like it, then don't read it;

WARNING: Spoilers for Revenge of the Sith game-verse; AU of events and serious AU of follow-on game (Force Unleashed)

Anakin/Padme

Normal Speech

'Thought'

**Future of the Force**

Death and destruction were in force on the day that Order 66 saw the end of the Jedi;

While Clone Troopers and their Commanders obeyed the pre-programmed orders on the many planets throughout the Republic that were against the Separatists and their movements, back on Coruscant, led by a now-turned Darth Vader – formerly known as the _Hero Without Fear_, Anakin Skywalker – the Clone Troopers moved through the halls and corridors, cutting down any and all who dared defy the wishes of their commander. At the head of this onslaught, Darth Vader moved like a shadow through the Archives, using the power of the Force to destroy all records of the Jedi while also deflecting blaster fire and attacks with his blue lightsabre.

Reaching one of the Council's main chambers, Darth Vader stopped suddenly as a feeling passed through him: beyond the electronic doors of the chamber, the Sith Lord in Training could feel the presence of the Force in leaps and bounds. Hidden amongst the senses of the Force, there were feelings of fear, dread and a series of wishes: wishes not to die, not to be destroyed, only to be saved.

A few of these youthful minds that the Sith Lord could sense even whispered to the Force, their desires as clear as a bell to him: '_Master Skywalker will save us; he is the One, he will come for us._'

'Interesting,' Vader thought to himself, clutching the hilt of his lightsabre in his mechanical hand as he considered the minds beyond the door, 'My Master commanded me to do what must be done: do not hesitate, show no mercy. And yet, these…Padawans, they could become so much more: their belief in me, in that _prophecy_, perhaps…much like Yoda once taught me, perhaps their fear can be moulded, enhanced…then I would truly be unstoppable.'

As he approached the doors, Vader's mind flashed to his visions of Padme, dying in childbirth and leaving him…to do what?

With the power offered to him by Sidious, he could save her life, but what if she learned the truth of this massacre?

If he assaulted innocent souls who were yet to be introduced to the full power of the Dark Side of the Force, then what would she think about him?

Even more disturbing: would this see her turned against him?

Making his decision, the Sith Lord steadied his hand, pocketing his lightsabre as he entered the Chamber, the scared faces of many younglings meeting his gaze while one of them, a young blonde-haired boy that reminded Vader of his emotions and state when _he_ first entered this chamber, approached him with a look of hope in his eyes.

"Master Skywalker," the boy spoke, his voice tinged with fear as he asked, "There are too many of them: what are we going to do?"

Once again, for a brief moment, Vader heard the voice of the Emperor in his head: _Do what must be done, Lord Vader; do not hesitate, show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough in the Dark Side to save Padme._

'I _will_ save her,' Vader thought, relaxing his appearance while he gestured to the door, using the Force to lock them in the Chamber, 'But on _my_ terms: you may think you have me, _Master_, but you do not realise the opportunity you have given me.'

Lowering his hood so that they could see his face, Vader slipped into his old demeanour as he smiled at them and spoke with a gentle, soothing tone, "Hey, it's okay: don't be afraid…this is but the treachery witnessed to me against our Chancellor."

"How?" asked a young Zabrak girl, her eyes filled with wonder and shock while a few of the others had started whispering amongst themselves.

"The Jedi have betrayed the Republic," Vader explained, summoning one of the seats in the room while the younglings gathered around him, "I personally witnessed Master Windu and several members of the Council trying to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine: if it wasn't for his experienced battle guards and the actions of our loyal Clone Troopers, he would be dead…and me with him."

"Why would Master Windu want to kill you?" asked the boy who'd spoken first.

With a curious glance to this boy, as such a proud soul would probably make a worthy apprentice, Vader smirked as he asked, "What's your name, boy?"

"Galen," answered the boy, his voice edged by shock as he added, "Galen Marek: I've only been a Padawan for a few weeks now."

"Well Galen," Vader continued, then aware of the Clone Troopers approaching the Chamber, no doubt aware of their Lord's absence amongst their ranks: he'd have to hurry this along, "To be honest with you, everything that the Jedi Council has done has been to weaken me despite their knowledge that I _am_ the Chosen One of the Force. Master Windu himself has expressed his mistrust and displeasure of my actions: the Jedi even accepted me on the Council under the conditions that I _spy_ on the Chancellor, a man who has been like a Father to me for years!"

"That's wrong!" exclaimed the Zabrak girl.

"That's right," Vader agreed, lifting his mechanical limb as he explained, "Even this is a sign of what the Jedi are willing to do to see their victory achieved: when I wanted to assure myself of a free life where I could be who I wanted to be and _not_ follow them into the worlds of betrayal and treason, they saw fit to see me turned into some sort of android. It was _their_ teachings that had me attack Count Dooku and they would have even had me _spare him_ because he had information, most likely about the Chancellor, but now…now I have my true path."

"What about the Clones?" asked Galen, Vader then turning his head to where the sense of the Troopers' approach was getting closer.

"They obey _me_ at the Chancellor's request," Vader explained, now rising from his seat as he told them, "I have shed the lies and betrayals of the Jedi and, in their eyes, I would have become Sith. But, in what I have seen, I see that there is no Jedi or Sith: no Light Side or Dark Side; there is only the Force and those too weak to master its mysteries. I am not weak and look at what I have become: what about you, younglings?"

There were a few worried glances before Vader held out his human hand as he asked, "Will you stay true to those who would kill a man just for disagreeing with them or will you come with me…and discover powers and ways of the Force that you can only dream of?"

For a moment, the younglings seemed to be confused and a little scared, though Vader could see the boy Galen looking at him with awe and wonder: almost as though he actually believed that his _Master Skywalker_ would truly stay true to the ways of the Force.

To _aid_ their decisions, Vader released the lock on the door just as the Clones entered, their weapons trained on the Padawans: thinking quickly, and playing along with his deception, Vader rounded on the Clones and used the Force to send them flying into the walls of the Chamber.

"Lord Vader!" exclaimed one of the Commanders, only to have a raised hand shown to him from Vader.

"Enough!" Vader commanded, "These children are not to be harmed: they are allies of the Chancellor and under _my_ personal protection, isn't that right, younglings?"

"Yes Master," chorused the children, their minds made up by the actions of this apparent Jedi deserter in protecting them.

Lowering both of his hands, Vader turned before he explained, "The Troopers will take you somewhere safe, but no matter what, you must not allow any Jedi to stop them. Use your lightsabres and what you've learned from the Force if you must, but let none stand in the way of preserving the peace of our Republic."

"Yes Lord Vader!" chorused the younglings, each of them being led away by one of the squads…all except one.

"As for you," Vader added, stopping the young Galen Marek from following the others, "I have a special assignment for you: succeed and you shall become my personal apprentice, will you serve?"

Steeling his expression, the young boy dropped to one knee and bowed his head, speaking some rather infamous words that would change everything…for both him and Vader:

"What is thy bidding, my Master?"

_**Future of the Force**_

Chancellor Palpatine was impressed with the actions of his young apprentice;

First, Lord Vader twisted the beliefs of the Jedi to earn entry to the Chambers and then struck down the likes of Cin Drallig and his faithful student, Serra; then he worked his way through the halls of the Temple, cutting down anyone who got in his way. And finally, from what the Chancellor could sense from his apprentice, it seemed that some hidden agenda of Vader's had become successful, thus increasing his powers over the Dark Side.

As a former apprentice of his once said: Fear was a powerful ally; fear attracts the fearful, the strong, the weak and the innocent: fear is my ally.

And so it was that Lord Vader seemed to have played on the fears of the Jedi and made them into a truly powerful weapon;

Of course, Palpatine would make sure that, when next they met face-to-face, Vader would explain his actions and then remember who his real master was.

_**Future of the Force**_

Lord Vader's assignment was a simple one;

Escorting Galen Marek to his home in Coruscant's inner sectors, the Sith Lord had embraced his wife and mother to his child, Padme Amidala-Skywalker, and introduced her to one of his most-loyal allies and those of the Chancellor. From there, the Sith Lord had commanded the boy to watch over Padme and keep a close eye on any who would dare to make trouble or distress her from the future that Lord Vader envisioned.

Being given the guest wing of the home of his Lord and new Master, the small boy took the time to apply some changes to his appearance with help from hair dye and focusing on the Force. What once was an innocent blonde-haired boy was now a ready-and-willing dark-haired apprentice of the Sith, though of course none of the younglings had suspected Vader's new ranks until the Troopers had named him such.

With his lightsabre resting on his lap, Galen focused his energy into the weapon, using it as the focus for his Force Power while he checked it over, ensuring its completed formation and improvements, which included a _black_ lightsabre crystal offered to him by his Master from the ruins of the Temple.

So focused was he in his task that the boy almost missed the distress that he sensed from the other room: reforming his sabre, Galen opened the door slightly and, on the other side, he was enraged to see the familiar form of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi sitting at his Master's window, speaking with Mistress Padme.

"Padme," Master Kenobi was speaking, his voice grave as he looked to Padme, "I need your help; he is in grave danger!"

"From the Sith?" asked Padme, looking over to the door where Galen was watching: thankfully, she managed to look back before Kenobi noticed.

"From himself."

There was a moment of awkwardness before Kenobi continued, "Padme, Anakin has turned to the Dark Side."

"You're…you're wrong," Padme gasped, earning a feeling of anger from Galen that, thanks to the preparations of Lord Vader, were unfelt by the foolish Jedi Master, "How can you even say that?"

"I have seen a security hologram of him…killing younglings," Obi-Wan's voice trembled as he said this: from his hiding place, the Secret Apprentice knew that the Master was lying: all younglings had been protected by Lord Vader's men at his _personal_ command and escorted to safe havens away from the lies of the Jedi.

"Not Anakin," Padme pleaded, "He wouldn't."

"He was deceived by a lie, we all were…"

"I won't hear this!" Padme exclaimed, now rising from the seat as she exclaimed, "I…I want you to leave, Obi-Wan: Anakin explained everything to me and I know where _my_ loyalties lie: with him and with the…the Empire now."

Obi-Wan rose calmly, approaching the window-bay where his transport was waiting before he turned and, with a solemn voice, he asked, "Anakin is the Father, isn't he?"

Padme said nothing.

"I'm truly sorry."

When he finally left the building, Galen revealed his presence, approaching the forlorn woman with a hint of sorrow to him as he kneeled down and, putting his hands in hers, he told her, "Do not worry, my Lady: I will not allow him to endanger you or Master Skywalker's child."

"Thank you, Galen," Padme sniffed, wiping her eyes before she asked, "Will…will you contact him for me? Let him know what's happened here."

"As you command," replied the Dark Apprentice, rising from his place before he turned and left the room to make his communication.

Once he left, so did Padme…

_**Future of the Force**_

"I see…thank you, Galen: your information is valuable to me."

"I live to serve you, Master," replied the young apprentice, his voice calm as he seemed to move off-screen from the holo-communicator; suddenly, he returned, a look of fear in his eyes as he added, "I sense a disturbance, Master: she's gone."

"Gone?" asked Vader.

"Lady Padme," Galen explained, "She's left the building: oh no…what if…what if he got to her?"

"Calm yourself, my apprentice," Vader replied, his voice calm as ice as he told the boy, "Use the comlink to contact her ship: if she has gone, then I sense that _he_ will come too. Do not fear my wrath from this: you have done well enough in trying to ensure our future. Wait for my next communication and meditate on the power of the Dark Side in the meantime."

"Yes, my Master," Galen nodded, the communication then being cut off while, at the same time, Vader made his plan for the final step in ensuring his future.

First, he had a call to make…

_**Future of the Force**_

Padme felt horror and dread settle into her heart when she lowered her ship down onto Mustafar's surface, her eyes taking in the sight of her husband decked out in dark clothing, approaching her with swiftness and speed.

Meeting him on the platform, Padme hugged Anakin/Vader before she listened to the warmth of his voice, "Are you all right? I saw your ship approaching."

"I…I was so worried about you," Padme replied, shuddering in his embrace as she told him, "Obi-Wan: he told me…such terrible things."

"Lies," Anakin/Vader replied, his voice soft as he held her, "My young friend contacted me and told me everything: Padme, I swear to you, I have not done what he says I have. Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me: this is all he cares about."

"Anakin," Padme sobbed, "All I want is your love."

"Love won't save you, Padme," Anakin/Vader told her, now looking into her eyes as he told her, "Only my new powers can do that: I won't lose you like I lose my Mother and I won't let anything hurt my child either. Don't you see?"

Padme actually took a step away from Anakin as he continued, "I have become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it all for you…for us: to protect you."

Taking a leap of faith, Padme took his hand, feeling the metal of his mechanical limb as she pleaded, "Come away with me: help me raise our child: leave everything behind while we still can."

"But don't you see?" asked Anakin, fearing that he was about to lose her…and all because of _him,_ "We don't have to run anymore; because of my actions, peace has been brought to the Republic and soon, with what I have, more power than the Chancellor himself, I can overthrow him. And then you and I can make things the way that they're meant to be."

"I…I don't believe it," Padme gasped, "Obi-Wan was right: you've changed."

"No," Anakin replied firmly, "I don't want to hear anything more about Obi-Wan: the Jedi turned against me; don't you turn against me."

"Anakin," Padme sobbed, her voice breaking as she gasped, "You're…you're breaking my heart: you're going down a path that I can't follow."

"Because of Obi-Wan?"

"Because of _you;_ because of what you've done, what you're planning to do…"

Anakin's expression hardened as he saw past Padme to the figure standing on the ramp: in that moment, Vader truly rose up and took the former _Hero_, turning him into the Sith Lord he was inside.

"Liar!" snarled Vader, his eyes turning gold as the Dark Side empowered his words and his will: Padme, hearing the voice, turned to see Obi-Wan standing on the ramp.

Fear gripped her heart as she turned back, only to have Vader lift his hand and, using the Force, he began to choke her, drawing the life out of her.

"You brought him here to kill me!" Vader hissed, the Dark Side empowering him completely as he hissed, "I loved you…and you betray me!"

"Anakin…no…I…"

Releasing her from the grip, Vader placed his hand on Padme's face before he told her, "You _will_ see things my way, I promise you: now, sleep!"

Through the Force, Vader put Padme into a stasis state before he turned his attention back to Obi-Wan, "You turned her against me!"

"You have done that yourself…"

_**Future of the Force**_

Galen felt the tremors of the Force from where he was stowing away on the now-Emperor's personal transport, their destination being the same place that his Master, Lord Vader, was engaged in some sort of powerful trauma. The Dark Side was ripe with him and, from where he was hidden, Galen managed to focus on that darkness, using it to draw him into its web in the same manner as his Master.

Lord Vader had spared his life;

Now it was time to return the favour…

_**Future of the Force**_

"It's over, Anakin: I have the high ground!"

"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side," replied Vader, gathering every ounce of his Force Power into him as he faced the final betrayer of his past. With this energy, he gathered the strength he had from his apprentice, his lover, his child and his Master, soon to be _ex-_Master.

This made him enter a realm of the Force that nobody had dared touch before, turning Anakin's eyes into a blazing, dragon-like shade of gold while the Dark Side swarmed around him like a storm swallowing him into its midst.

"Don't try it," Obi-Wan warned him, but Vader wasn't listening: gathering this energy, this _unleashed_ side of the Force, the Sith Lord leapt up high, completely overshadowing Obi-Wan and dodging his sabre before, with a skill and deathly desire that he'd felt ever since coming close to making his dreaded vision coming true, he stabbed his _former_ mentor through the heart, his eyes watching as the man toppled to the ground.

Letting Obi-Wan fall towards the lava below, Vader turned and made his way along the rocky crevices towards the landing pod where, amidst several rows of Stormtroopers, the Emperor was emerging, his elderly features glancing to his apprentice with fondness and pride. Approaching the Emperor, Vader did _not_ bow as was expected of him; instead, he listened as Palpatine spoke, "Excellent my young apprentice: there are none left to oppose us, the galaxy is ours now."

A flicker of movement from behind the Emperor brought a small smirk to Vader's face as the Emperor handed him a black-hilted weapon, "Your new lightsabre, Lord Vader!"

Taking the weapon, Vader counted all of one second before he ignited his sabre and, in a blaze of crimson, he rounded on Palpatine and decapitated him, letting the body fall to the ground while Vader turned to face the troopers surrounding him, "No, the galaxy belongs to me: where is Padme Amidala?"

"Here, Master," replied Galen, appearing from where he'd skulked off the ship, a pair of Troopers loyal to Vader holding onto the unconscious form of the Senator.

"See her safely on-board," Vader commanded, "Ensure my child is alive and well: she dies…so will all of you!"

"Yes, Emperor Vader!" chorused the Troopers, leaving Vader with his young apprentice.

"Kneel."

Galen kneeled, his body trembling slightly as he heard the sabre of his Master ignite once more, followed by the icy voice of the new Emperor as he spoke: "You were weak when I found you, but now your hatred has become your strength: at last, the Dark Side is your ally and you have proven yourself worthy of this."

Galen tried not to tremble as he felt the hot plasma-like blade touch his shoulders before Vader's voice addressed the future of the Dark Side;

The future of the Force;

"Arise, Darth Starkiller!"

**There we go: a bit of a mixed-up idea, but the basic thing was that Anakin spared the younglings he encountered in the movie rather than slaughtering them: the rest sort of wrote itself. I don't know why I gave the boy that addressed him the title of Starkiller: it just seemed to work.**

**Oh, and the end there is the alternate ending available in the RotS game, so I thought it would match-up;**

**Just call it one of those weird ideas I had to put down on paper…**

**Anyway, next adventure coming soon…**

**Oh, and if anyone would like to write a follow-on story from this, then let me know and I'll give you any details…**

**For now, this is DZ2 saying until next time!**

**May the Force Be With You!**


End file.
